CRACKING 'THE NUTCRACKER' SANDRA TSING LOH CREATES HER OWN KIND OF CHRISTMAS WITH 'SUGAR PLUM FAIRY'.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Writer ``Hiiii,'' Sandra Tsing Loh chirps, her voice causing the one-syllable greeting to arch and lilt, sliding whistle-like, over a couple of octaves. ``Merry Christmas.'' It does the trick. We're only in the first week of November, and between the repetition, the insertion of a few bars of ``Sleigh sleigh: see sled. Ride'' and the tackiest of plastic reindeer reindeer, ruminant mammal, genus Rangifer, of the deer family, found in arctic and subarctic regions of Eurasia and North America. It is the only deer in which both sexes have antlers. perched on Loh's lap, I have nearly reached my yuletide saturation point saturation point n. 1. Chemistry The point at which a substance will receive no more of another substance in solution. 2. The point at which no more can be absorbed or assimilated. . But Loh is posing for photographs, so the holiday cheer continues. Whether the author and KCRW-FM radio personality is actually psyching herself up or merely satisfying the demands of a photographer is kind of beside the point. If she's not in the holiday spirit now, she figures to be Christmas-ed to the gills in the next few days when her solo performance, ``Sugar Plum A sugar plum is a piece of candy that is made of sugar and shaped in a small round or oval shape. Sugar plums are widely associated with Christmas, through cultural phenomena such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker Fairy,'' opens next week at the Geffen Playhouse The Geffen Playhouse (or the Geffen) is a not for profit performing arts theater in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Originally named the Westwood Playhouse, UCLA purchased the property in 1993. UCLA's then chancellor, Charles E. . Frequent collaborator David Schweitzer is the director. Occupying the season slot typically reserved for a family- or holiday- themed selection, ``Sugar Plum Fairy'' chronicles an adolescent Sandra's memorable efforts to land the lead role in Tchaikovsky's ``The Nutcracker nutcracker, common name for a small crow of the genus Nucifraga in the family Corvidae (crow family). The Old World nutcracker (N. caryocatactes) is found throughout the colder regions of Europe, including high mountain forests. .'' Both she and her older sister, Kaitlin, attended ballet school in Chatsworth. ``Some can be tennis families, some can be basketball families or chess families. We were this ballet family,'' says Loh, who has ditched her elf hat while she munches a salad during a rehearsal dinner A rehearsal dinner is a pre-wedding ceremony in Western tradition, usually held after the wedding rehearsal and the night before the wedding ceremony. The guests include the couple to be married and others who form the wedding party and may also include extended family and break. ``That's what we did. We drove the car back and forth to places, discussed stuff in the car. We lived in Malibu at the time, and we would actually drive like an hour to get over to our ballet classes. ``So there's something about that feeling that you're so far from New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . You're floundering in L.A., driving through freeways and mini-malls to do your little artistic thing.'' Something of a local poet/sage, Loh took on Valley life in her 2001 book ``A Year in Van Nuys.'' Her solo shows, which include ``Bad Sex With Bud Kemp,'' ``Aliens in America'' and ``I Worry'' are offbeat off·beat n. Music An unaccented beat in a measure. adj. Slang Not conforming to an ordinary type or pattern; unconventional: offbeat humor. chronicles of Loh's life and family. Hailed by author and onetime Valley resident T.C. Boyle as ``the master of the excruciating moment,'' Loh calls things as she sees them, but often with a wickedly humorous gleam in her eye. ``She really has this unassuming kind of matter-of-fact, just charming way about her that's not pretentious, very solo-divalike,'' says Schweitzer, ``but she's very skilled and has become ever more so. She's someone who really continues to grow as a performer - I find it very rewarding.'' < First performed last year at the Seattle Repertory Theatre  This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. , ``Sugar Plum Fairy'' is no stool-and-water-glass solo act. Those glittery props - the reindeer and tinsel tin·sel n. 1. Very thin sheets, strips, or threads of a glittering material used as a decoration. 2. Something sparkling or showy but basically valueless: the tinsel of parties and promotional events. - are all part of the show. As the performance begins, Loh comes out dressed as a Christmas tree Christmas tree Evergreen tree, usually decorated with lights and ornaments, to celebrate the Christmas season. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as symbols of eternal life was common among the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. , happily flings candy into the audience and, holiday cheer dispensed with, utters the line, ``I hate Christmas. You know? I just hate it.'' ``I remember one performance, I said 'I hate Christmas,' '' recalls Loh, ``and this older man in the audience said, 'Noooo,' so there was this talk- back going on.'' ``It's such a very sad holiday, fraught with so many memories,'' she continues. ``People always come to Christmas with a whole palette of stuff on their plates. Why people come to the theater and Christmastime and who they're taking - I always find that rather interesting.'' For the record, Loh, 41, doesn't really hate Christmas. In addition to mining her own experience with the ballet, she's probably seen ``The Nutcracker'' between 10 and 20 times. She'll take her two daughters, now ages 3 and 1 1/2, when they're old enough to enjoy it. ``Sugar Plum Fairy'' began as a short story. Loh was looking to develop a new piece for Seattle Rep's holiday slot after performing her family-themed ``Aliens in America'' there a couple of seasons ago. For inspiration, she turned to her historical fascination with ``The Nutcracker,'' a ballet that appears to be a veritable girlhood rite of passage rite of passage n. A ritual or ceremony signifying an event in a person's life indicative of a transition from one stage to another, as from adolescence to adulthood. . Her research and recollections led to the following conclusions: CLARA CLARA Clairemont Amateur Radio Association AND HER SERFS: ``All this machinery goes into making the magic of 'The Nutcracker,' but there's actually quite a bit of slave labor involved,'' she says. ``You've got all the hapless kids who are the rats and the children and the children of the mice. There is definitely a hierarchy of who's the star and who's not the star.'' IF THE TUTU DOESN'T FIT, CONSIDER YOURSELF S.O.L.: ``In many suburban 'Nutcrackers,' they have the costumes already made, and you're cast if you can fit into the costume,'' Loh says. ``So if you're hitting puberty like I was and you're just larger than everybody else, you will not play the ingenue in·gé·nue also in·ge·nue n. 1. A naive, innocent girl or young woman. 2. a. The role of an ingénue in a dramatic production. b. An actress playing such a role. because they're not going to remake a costume to fit you.'' CAR POSITIONING IS EVERYTHING: ``With siblings, there's always the talented sibling and the untalented Adj. 1. untalented - devoid of talent; not gifted talentless gifted, talented - endowed with talent or talents; "a gifted writer" one,'' says Loh. ``The talented one sort of sits in the front seat and confers with the parent - and the less-talented one sits in the back.'' A TREASURED STORY, YES, BUT NOT ALL SWEETS AND SUGAR: ``Oh, yeah, it's a very bizarre story,'' Loh says of ``The Nutcracker.'' ``I think in an earlier draft of (her new solo show), I had some of that stuff in there. You've got the one-eyed guy in the black cape who makes puppets. That's the creepiest, weirdest thing.'' Freudian ``Nutcracker'' interpretations, teenagers re-enacting mad scenes. Is this the performer you want making your yuletide gay? ``Sandra does have a dark sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour ,'' says Joseph Smelser, associate artistic director at Seattle Rep, who says his theater's run of ``Sugar Plum Fairy'' was a particular favorite among mothers and daughters. ``People are a lot more aware of her sense of humor in L.A. because of her radio presence. The most overwhelming response was people saying, 'That was me. That was my sister, I've been through at least one of those experiences.' '' ``This (show) is really warm for me,'' insists Loh. ``Yes, if you really are the type of person who feels if you try really hard, you'll win ... or if you really believe all the nicest, best people in the world end up in the starring roles, then this wouldn't be the show for you. But if you've ever come in third place or fifth place - or 17th place, if you're not a winner or a homecoming queen, I think the show will appeal to you.'' Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com SUGAR PLUM FAIRY Where: Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 4 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through Dec. 21. Tickets: $28 to $46. Call (310) 208-5454. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Tutu too much! SANDRA TSING LOH'S comic `Nutcracker' memories lead off our Holiday arts PREVIEW Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer - photo illustration (2) no caption (Sandra Tsing Loh) Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer |
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